aritime operations in the Middle East are facing unprecedented disruption. The Strait of Hormuz has been essentially closed to most international shipping companies since early March, and Yemen’s Houthis last week opened a new front in the southern Red Sea (MEES, 24 July), limiting Saudi Arabia’s ability to use its Hormuz-bypass route (MEES, 31 July). If this week’s drone attack against Egypt’s port of Damietta presages the opening of another front, Red Sea shipping could face even greater disruption (MEES, 31 July).
Attempts to resolve the conflict that began with the US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February have so far been unsuccessful with control over Hormuz still being contested. This week, Tehran rejected an Omani proposal for the joint management of Hormuz, insisting on total control over its half of the waterway. (CONTINUED - 982 WORDS)
